Erith_and_Thamesmead_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Erith and Thamesmead (UK Parliament constituency)
UK Parliament constituency since 1997
Erith and Thamesmead (/ˈɪərɪθ ... tɛmzmiːd/) is a constituency[n 1] created in 1997 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Abena Oppong-Asare of the Labour Party.[n 2]
| Erith and Thamesmead | |
|---|---|
| Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Erith and Thamesmead in Greater London | |
| County | Greater London |
| Electorate | 69,718 (December 2010)[1] |
| Major settlements | Erith, Plumstead and Thamesmead |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1997 |
| Member of Parliament | Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Woolwich and Erith & Crayford |
The seat was created for the 1997 general election from parts of the old Woolwich and Erith and Crayford constituencies.
John Austin was the MP for this constituency from its creation for the 1997 general election until he stepped down at the 2010 election. The seat was then held for Labour by a local activist Teresa Pearce, who defeated the Conservative candidate Colin Bloom, a councillor for Bickley ward in Bromley.
Pearce increased her majority at the 2015 general election to rank 125th of the party's 232 MPs then elected.[2]
2010 Labour selection controversy
In April 2009, an investigation took place into the tampering of ballot boxes and abuse of the postal vote system used for the selection of the prospective Labour candidate for Erith and Thamesmead. A rerun of the candidate selection ballot resulted in victory for Teresa Pearce.[3]
The cross-border constituency of Erith and Thamesmead currently stretches from Plumstead, and Abbey Wood in the west, to Lesnes Heath, and Erith in the east. The Conservatives' strongest wards are in the Bexley part of the seat, in particular Northumberland Heath ward. The remaining wards from Bexley and Greenwich have traditionally seen more support for the Labour Party, in both local and national elections. There is a significant demographic divide within the seat, with Northumberland Heath being over 85% white, and Erith and Belvedere are also predominantly white. However, Thamesmead and Plumstead have much more diverse populations, where no single ethnic group has more than half of the population.
The eastern part of the seat includes significant areas of industry along the River Thames, including Crossness Sewage Treatment Works.
1997–2010: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Belvedere, Erith, Northumberland Heath, and Thamesmead East, and the London Borough of Greenwich wards of Abbey Wood, Eynsham, Glyndon, Lakedale, St Nicholas, and Thamesmead Moorings.
2010–present: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Belvedere, Erith, Lesnes Abbey, Northumberland Heath, and Thamesmead East, and the London Borough of Greenwich wards of Abbey Wood, Plumstead, and Thamesmead Moorings.
2010 Boundary review
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South London, and as a consequence of changes to ward boundaries, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that parts of Glyndon ward and Colyers ward be transferred from Erith and Thamesmead to the constituencies of Greenwich and Woolwich and Bexleyheath and Crayford respectively; that part of Plumstead ward be transferred to Erith and Thamesmead from Eltham; and that parts of Lesnes Abbey ward, Nothumberland Heath ward and Erith ward be transferred to Erith and Thamesmead from Bexleyheath and Crayford.
Proposed
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the next general election, due by January 2025, the constituency will be composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
- The London Borough of Bexley wards of: Belvedere; Erith; Thamesmead East.
- The Royal Borough of Greenwich wards of: Abbey Wood; Glyndon; Plumstead; Shooters Hill; Thamesmead Moorings.[4]
The Greenwich Borough wards of Glyndon and Shooters Hill will be transferred from Greenwich and Woolwich, and Eltham (to be renamed Eltham and Chislehurst) respectively. To partly compensate, southernmost parts in Bexley Borough will be transferred to Bexleyheath and Crayford.
Following a local government boundary review in the Borough of Greenwich which came into effect in May 2022,[5][6] the constituency will now comprise the following from the next general election:
- The London Borough of Bexley wards of: Belvedere; Erith; Thamesmead East.
- The Royal Borough of Greenwich wards of: Abbey Wood; Plumstead and Glyndon; Plumstead Common (most); Shooters Hill (most); Thamesmead Moorings; West Thamesmead; and small parts of Woolwich Arsenal and Woolwich Common.[7]
| Election | Member[8] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | John Austin | Labour | |
| 2010 | Teresa Pearce | Labour | |
| 2019 | Abena Oppong-Asare | Labour | |
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Abena Oppong-Asare[9] | ||||
| Reform UK | Michael Pastor[10] | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Abena Oppong-Asare | 19,882 | 48.0 | -9.5 | |
| Conservative | Joe Robertson | 16,124 | 39.0 | +4.0 | |
| Brexit Party | Tom Bright | 2,246 | 5.4 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Sam Webber | 1,984 | 4.8 | +3.1 | |
| Green | Claudine Letsae | 876 | 2.1 | +1.0 | |
| CPA | Richard Mitchell | 272 | 0.7 | +0.2 | |
| Majority | 3,758 | 9.0 | -13.5 | ||
| Turnout | 41,284 | 63.3 | -0.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 65,399 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | -6.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Teresa Pearce | 25,585 | 57.5 | +7.7 | |
| Conservative | Edward Baxter | 15,571 | 35.0 | +7.6 | |
| UKIP | Ronie Johnson | 1,728 | 3.9 | -13.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Simon Waddington | 750 | 1.7 | -0.6 | |
| Green | Claudine Letsae | 507 | 1.1 | -1.1 | |
| CPA | Temi Olodu | 243 | 0.5 | -0.1 | |
| Independent | Doro Oddiri | 80 | 0.2 | New | |
| Majority | 10,014 | 22.5 | +0.1 | ||
| Turnout | 44,464 | 63.8 | +3.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 69,724 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +0.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Teresa Pearce | 21,209 | 49.8 | +4.9 | |
| Conservative | Anna Firth | 11,684 | 27.4 | −4.1 | |
| UKIP | Ronie Johnson | 7,368 | 17.3 | +14.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Simon Waddington | 972 | 2.3 | −9.7 | |
| Green | Ann Garrett | 941 | 2.2 | +1.4 | |
| CPA | Sidney Cordle | 255 | 0.6 | −0.3 | |
| English Democrat | Graham Moore | 188 | 0.4 | −0.7 | |
| Majority | 9,525 | 22.4 | +9.0 | ||
| Turnout | 42,617 | 60.5 | -0.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 70,397 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +4.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Teresa Pearce | 19,068 | 44.9 | −7.7 | |
| Conservative | Colin Bloom | 13,365 | 31.5 | +5.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Alex Cunliffe | 5,116 | 12.0 | −0.8 | |
| BNP | Kevin Saunders | 2,184 | 5.1 | +0.9 | |
| UKIP | Pamela Perrin | 1,139 | 2.7 | −1.1 | |
| English Democrat | Laurence Williams | 465 | 1.1 | New | |
| Independent | Abbey Akinoshun | 438 | 1.0 | New | |
| CPA | Sidney Cordle | 379 | 0.9 | New | |
| Green | Marek Powley | 322 | 0.8 | New | |
| Majority | 5,703 | 13.4 | −17.1 | ||
| Turnout | 42,476 | 60.8 | +7.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 69,900 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −6.3 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Austin | 20,483 | 54.4 | −4.9 | |
| Conservative | Chris R. Bromby | 8,983 | 23.9 | −1.9 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Steven T. Toole | 5,088 | 13.5 | +2.1 | |
| BNP | Brian Ravenscroft | 1,620 | 4.3 | New | |
| UKIP | Barrie R. Thomas | 1,477 | 3.9 | New | |
| Majority | 11,500 | 30.5 | −3.0 | ||
| Turnout | 37,651 | 52.3 | +2.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,058 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −7.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Austin | 19,769 | 59.3 | −2.8 | |
| Conservative | Mark Brooks | 8,602 | 25.8 | +5.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Barry Kempton | 3,800 | 11.4 | −0.6 | |
| Socialist Labour | Hardev Singh Dhillon | 1,180 | 3.5 | New | |
| Majority | 11,167 | 33.5 | -8.4 | ||
| Turnout | 33,351 | 50.2 | -15.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 66,371 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | -4.2 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Austin | 25,812 | 62.1 | ||
| Conservative | Nadhim Zahawi | 8,388 | 20.2 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Alex H.C. Grigg | 5,001 | 12.0 | ||
| Referendum | John E. Flunder | 1,394 | 3.4 | ||
| BNP | Victor J. Dooley | 718 | 1.7 | ||
| UKIP | M.L. Jackson | 274 | 0.7 | ||
| Majority | 17,424 | 41.9 | |||
| Turnout | 41,587 | 65.6 | |||
| Registered electors | 63,417 | ||||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
- A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- As with all constituencies, Erith and Thamesmead elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
- "Electorate Figures – Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- "Labour Members of Parliament 2015". UK Political.info. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
- Kite, Melissa (18 April 2009). "Labour ballot box tampering row deepens – Telegraph". London: telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 3 London region.
- LGBCE. "Greenwich | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- "New Seat Details - Erith and Thamesmead". www.electoralcalculus.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- Abena Oppong-Asare [@abenaopp] (24 February 2022). "Delighted to be re-selected by @E_TLabour members and affiliates. It is a great privilege to be the Labour Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead. I look forward to working with local members to campaign for a much-needed Labour Government" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Find My PPC" (PDF). Reform UK. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- "Erith & Thamesmead Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- House Of Commons Library 2017 Election report http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7979/CBP-7979.pdf] House Of Commons Library 2017 Election report.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- Politics Resources (Election results from 1922 onwards)
- Electoral Calculus (Election results from 1955 onwards)